


Let the World Know

by sweeterthankarma



Category: Actor RPF, Divergent (Movies), Divergent Series - Veronica Roth
Genre: Established Relationship, F/M, I Will Go Down With This Ship, It's been 84 years is anyone even shipping them anymore, Public Displays of Affection, oh well i'm here
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-22
Updated: 2018-04-22
Packaged: 2019-04-26 04:56:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,816
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14394768
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sweeterthankarma/pseuds/sweeterthankarma
Summary: Jane requested, "Could you do a protective Theo scenario, where Sheo are on their first date and unfortunately the paparazzi show up and won't really leave them alone and like in the end, they still end up having a great first date?"+"Theo becomes protective when an interviewer starts overly flirting with Shai."





	Let the World Know

**Author's Note:**

> Jane requested, "Could you do a protective Theo scenario, where Sheo are on their first date and unfortunately the paparazzi show up and won't really leave them alone and like in the end, they still end up having a great first date?"

It’s weird to be out in public with Theo, Shai thinks. Not inherently, because he’s her best friend — more than that, but  _ best friend  _ still seems like the most suitable label, even after all this time— but because she’s holding his hand and not hiding it under the table. The fans know they’re together, it was obvious from the beginning and Shai remembers reading tweets and theories on Tumblr blogs, late night when the first photos of her and Theo had surfaced in the beginning of  _ Divergent  _ filming. She had laughed at the comments, even if they were oftentimes true, and she didn’t care then because she was sure they’d never take it to the next step, never be doing what they’re doing now, on a date in a coffee shop, outside in broad daylight. It’s a common celebrity spot and the paparazzi know it, and she’s never been afraid of them, sometimes even embraced the camera flashes, but today it’s different.

His laugh is ever present and his voice is familiar, as always, still faintly groggy from sleep because they’d stayed up late and taken advantage of their day off. She doesn’t know what inspired them to come here, besides the all vegan menu that she’d been dying to try and Theo wasn’t necessarily against (she knows it’s also because he finds her fascination with new food trends endearing, even if they are somewhat bizarre sometimes), but she  _ really  _ doesn’t know what inspired them to give up their front of being “just coworkers.”

It may have been the way his lips slipped against hers, whiskey cold and all smile as his hands rested on her waist in a hotel bed too big even for the both of them. When she takes a sip of her iced tea she thinks back to the night before, feels his thumb rub against the back of her hand, imagines his touch elsewhere, where it had been not too long ago, and yeah, she thinks that definitely did it.

She’d had a bit of an epiphany, decided enough was enough and she was tired of having to sneak around. The paparazzi certainly didn’t follow them as much as they did other actors, and last week a fan wearing a Divergent shirt didn’t even recognize them because of their hats and sunglasses, but it’s still not enough. She’d been afraid to voice her opinion, share her honesty in fear of being alone in her feelings and have Theo decide it all just wasn’t worth it. It only took a night off and some liquor to get them talking, and she was surprised that he had started the conversation.

    “I wish we could do this everywhere we went,” Theo had said as he twisted their fingers together. She was lying atop him, legs sprawled out and head resting on his chest, but as soon as the words left his mouth she lifted her chin, looking at him eagerly.

    “Me too,” she said a little too fast. “I really wish we could.” 

She leaned in for a kiss, slow and lingering because she could do that as much as she wanted, in a locked room reserved for only them, and there was a sort of freedom in that. 

    “Why can’t we?” he whispered against her lips when they broke apart, and when she opened her eyes he was already looking at her, honest and serious. The decision was made, then and there, with minimal thought because Shailene had never been the type to restrict herself from any kind of happiness and she’d decided she’d had enough. Besides, his lips were back on hers, less lazy and more urgent, enthusiastic and making up for lost time, almost (as if they’d wasted any time in the hours when they were alone before) so she had nothing less to say.

    “How’s your sandwich?” Theo asks, bringing her out of her reflection and back into the radiating heat of the LA streetway. It’s mid-July, exceptionally hot today, and normally he’d be complaining about the heat— “I’m British, I don’t know how to handle this,” he’d say— but today he just smiles. 

    “It’s good,” she replies. “I might go in and take a picture of their menu, I’d like to try to make this at home. The balsamic vinaigrette is ridiculous.”

They get into a long conversation about food, something that happens rather often despite their differing palate, and she swears she falls a little more in love with him just listening to him recall his experience with his cousin’s homemade kale chips that were surprisingly good, even though they were burnt. He’s so enthusiastic, so comedic about everything and his eyes are bright, so bright she doesn’t notice the even brighter flash behind them until Theo’s smile fades and he instinctually tugs his hand away from hers.

She turns to see a familiar looking paparazzi; as big as Los Angeles is, they seem to send the same cameramen on duty fairly often. She waves to him because of course she does, it’s human nature, and he waves back, but not without flashing another picture.

Theo sighs next to her, quiet but she notices, and she gives him a look. “This is okay, right?” 

He shrugs and goes back to his own lunch, clearly miffed. “Yeah, I guess.”

Fame had hit them fast, Shai knows that. They’re still not household names, and she doesn’t mind if they never reach that status, but there’s been a significant increase and fans and followers and interest in their personal lives. It’s not comfortable, but it’s what they signed up for. The paparazzi is just part of the deal. She reminds herself that as he moves closer, black camera taking up space in her peripheral vision, and she tries to focus on Theo.

She’s never loved red carpets, but there’s something easier about them than handling the paparazzi. In situations like this, should she strike up a conversation? Ask if he can take a few pictures and leave them alone? Ask if he can leave them alone altogether? There’s no one solution, and it’s different every time, especially depending on the cameraman. This one seems more respectful and she figures if she asked him to leave he would, but she doesn’t want to get a new reputation as a bitch, especially with her new movie coming out soon. She wishes she didn’t have to think that way, but she’s been conditioned to, it’s part of the job. Hell, the pap’s probably crafting a story with every move she makes. 

Theo’s been quiet, silent and uncomfortable, she can tell. 

    “Do you want to go?” she asks. She hopes she can say more with her gaze on him than words can, she thinks he knows her well enough to be able to read her. In her eyes, she’s a mix of sorry and concerned and almost regretful, because she knows he isn’t going to up and leave her— especially when they’ve made it this far— but it’s still a fear, circling around somewhere in the back of her mind. 

    “No,” he responds, “but…”

    “But what?” Shailene expected a public relationship to mean public, and she knows this is awkward for both of them, but they can’t give up now. She takes his hand in hers, unafraid, and the paparazzi moves closer.

    “Could you give us a little space, please?” Shai asks sweetly, and gives him a tight-lipped smile as he complies. 

It gets better, more controllable and she almost forgets he’s even there for awhile. They dissolve into conversation again, finish their discussion on kale and start one pertaining to  _ Ascendant,  _ and he says something that makes her smile so hard she can’t help but lean over and kiss him, fast, and when she pulls away she lingers. 

    “We know it’s gonna get out sooner or later, right?” she says, raising her eyebrows and bringing a hand up to his jaw. His stubble is soft under her palm. “I mean, what else did we expect? We might as well give them a show.”

Theo smirks at her, some tension suddenly resolved with their close proximity, even though he can see some flashes in the distance. “That’s not a bad idea, Woodley. Give the fans what they want, am I right?”

She laughs, relishes in the intimacy that’s so familiar it diminishes any fears she could possibly have. “Okay, first of all, that’s very voyeuristic, and second of all, what? You never call me ‘Woodley.’”

He chuckles, one hand coming to her thigh and the other brushing through her hair, smoothing it.

    “Don’t blame me, it was your idea,” he says, and she has no time to come up with a response because then his hand comes in to cradle her jaw and she thinks there may be more paparazzi now, but then his lips are on hers and just like every other time he kisses her, she can’t focus on anything else. It’s been years since their first kiss so she doesn’t understand how it’s possible to be so flustered every time he so much as brushes his lips against hers, especially because they’ve done so many kisses in Divergent and so she should know how to turn off the fluttering in her chest, but she  _ can’t.  _

She smiles into his kiss when she thinks of the response from the fans once the pictures get released, knowing that their happiness will only bring about more happiness in the world. She isn’t afraid of what comes next, if she’s being completely honest she can’t even imagine a  _ next  _ for them. He’s been by her side for years, through happiness and turmoil and sadness and confusion, and she doesn’t want anything else, doesn’t need anything else. 

So she doesn’t worry. Instead, she wraps up her food, takes his hand, and waves goodbye to the paparazzi. If she’s learned anything through life and anything through Theo, it’s that the most special moments happen when you least expect it, and now they’ve got the photos to prove it. 

    “Wanna go to the park now and put on a real show?” Theo jokes when they get into the car, giving her a look that’s the exact opposite of seduction. “I think I’ve got a blanket in the trunk.”

She smacks his arm, but laughs anyways as she rolls down the windows. “In your dreams, James.”

    “Oh, so now you’re calling me by my last name?” he retorts, and this time she’s the one to smirk at him.

    “Drive the car, babe,” she says, and pulls out her phone. She searches her name, and she surprises herself even as she does it because it’s something she’d sworn against it in fear of negativity and ego inflation. Regardless of what comes up, she knows she’ll be happy with the results. Her real life is better than anything she could find online. 

**Author's Note:**

> So, there doesn't seem to be too many active people in the Divergent fandom anymore, let alone shippers of Shailene and Theo, but thank you to Jane for reading my fics and sending me these requests! It was great to write them and get back into these two as characters. I haven't written about real people in awhile and sometimes I find it odd because I would never want Shai or Theo, or any celebrities, to be uncomfortable if they ever found fics about them, even though they're good-natured people so they likely wouldn't mind much anyways. They're lots of fun to write though, and it was quite a journey down memory lane to watch some old videos and reminisce on how much I adore these two. To other readers who stop by and are still present in this fandom, come say hi! I have a Tumblr under the same username, and it's lonely over here.


End file.
